Impromptu Dance Lessons
by halfpipez
Summary: Yuffie has an upcoming function to attend in Wutai that her father insists she attend. Unfortunately, she doesn't know a thing about dancing at formal parties. Luckily, Vincent is there to help her out. ON HIATUS.
1. Roaming the Streets

It was easy to satisfy Yuffie as long as you had an idea of what she was talking about and answered when you had to, usually in short 'yes' or 'no' answers. Others made the mistake of listening and getting confused because of her speedy thoughts that jumped all over the place. At one moment she could be telling you about what she did at lunch and then she'd be talking about a movie she saw recently and somehow it would relate – but no one would get the relation but her. And somehow she'd switch back to what she was doing at lunch. Her tangents were always longwinded but they always got back to the point. Luckily, Vincent was one of the few people that could follow her train of thought (which most people compared to a bullet-train) and be able to answer her most bizarre questions – with a bit of difficulty mind you.

Normally, Tifa would send the two on an errand of some sort and Yuffie would drag Vincent along with her for company, but today the circumstances were different. Yuffie was merely bored and wanted to go for a walk somewhere. They didn't really have a plan, just that Yuffie wanted to walk – and walk they did.

So Vincent was forced to listen to Yuffie ramble on about random topics, the latest one being the new dance nights that Tifa had started doing at the bar every Friday night. They were fun, according to Yuffie, though if Vincent were to give his own opinion of them, they were loud and rowdy and irritating. As she talked about dancing, somehow she had landed on the topic of the dinner party her father was holding in honour of something that involved her. This piqued his interest, and he began to listen more intently.

"Anyways, so he sent me a letter – though I honestly don't know why he didn't just call me! – about this function and how he wants me to come. It's gonna be at the palace and it's supposed to be really formal. Even you know that I'm no good at formal!" Yuffie complained as she explained her predicament. "And I'm expected to dance there too… I'm no good at dancing all formal and stuff!"

There was a moment of silence that was filled only by the chatter of the pedestrians around them that were waiting at the crossroads, but then Vincent decided to reply. "I'm… rather adept at that sort of dancing… I used to have to go to Turk functions all the time where I was expected to mingle."

Yuffie gaped at him. "You? Mingle? Wow Vince, there sure is a lot I don't know about you!" She said, genuinely surprised.

Vincent ignored her surprise and continued, "I was expected to mingle, which normally meant being civil and dancing with others when asked to. I was… merely following orders, nothing more."

"Teach me then." Yuffie said simply, holding her hand out for Vincent to take. "If you know how to dance, then why don't you show me? Otherwise Godo will just be embarrassed when I go to that function."

Vincent still hadn't taken her outstretched hand, merely looking at her with an interested look. "Is this… the same function you invited us to?"

Yuffie nodded, rubbed her arm sheepishly. "I won't know anyone there except you guys, if you come with me. I'm still trying to convince Cid to take me there."

"Alright."

Yuffie's eye's widened slightly in surprise. "Really, you'll teach me?"

Vincent nodded, taking her hand. They had been walking aimlessly around Edge for a while now, and it was nearing evening. The sun was slowly starting to descend into the horizon, though you could only barely see it through overcast clouds. Their rather one-sided conversation had turned to how Yuffie doesn't want to be forced into dancing at her father's function. Vincent had been at first confused, but slowly realized that the dancing she did compared to the kind that was expected of a Princess was quite different.

Now, Yuffie was surprised because they were in the middle of a decently busy street, and Vincent had already taken her into position, with one hand in his, and her other hand on his shoulder. "It's… simple…" He told her.

Vincent felt it was only fair to help her with something trivial like this when she had helped him many times in more dire situations. Of course, these differed in difficulty, but Yuffie didn't want him to pay her back, claiming that that's what friends do.

Yuffie raised an apprehensive eyebrow at him. "Simple? Eh… people have attempted to teach me tons of times and have only succeeded in helping me further my grace as a lethal ninja. I don't think you're going to help my inability." She said skeptically. "And anyways, it's not like I care whether I totally humiliate my dad! That would be fun!"

"Then why were you… so worried about it?" Vincent deadpanned as he started to guide her into a swaying motion.

Yuffie couldn't think of a good comeback, so she just went with the non-existent beat that Vincent was moving to. It was easy enough to step back and forth, and she found herself thinking that it might be easier than she thought. It was then that Vincent decided to spin her around.

Somehow he caught her before she fell, having tripped over a crack in the sidewalk, and turned it into a graceful spin back up. Most passers-by hadn't even noticed her potential mistake. "How do you always make things look so easy Vince?" Yuffie asked, letting go of him so they could walk again.

"Easy?" He asked. "No… not at all." He smirked beneath the collar of his red cape. "I had to get my co-workers to… help me…"

Yuffie grinned. "Ah, so the great Vincent Valentine _does_ need help! No wonder I'm your sidekick!" She pumped her fist into the air victoriously.

She started on a ramble about the function again, asking Vincent if he knew any of the musicians that would be playing. They were mostly traditional Wutain players, but Vincent rather liked the cultural music than the noise Tifa insisted on playing at the bar because it was 'popular'. Unfortunately, that was the same noise that Yuffie was actually adept at dancing to. Thank Leviathan she didn't dance like the other girls her age though, since they were quite inappropriate, even though they _were_ at a bar.

"Has Cid agreed to take you to Wutai for the weekend yet?" Vincent asked quietly when there was a lull in her constant chatter.

Yuffie frowned. "No, he hasn't even called me back yet." She told him. "Though, Reno offered me a ride in one of the Shin-Ra helicopters as a back-up. Too bad his helicopter only takes so many people. I don't think all of AVALANCHE can fit into one."

"No, unfortunately." Vincent replied in a neutral tone. He had never liked galas or gatherings all that much and had originally wanted to avoid this social event that Yuffie had been talking about. Regrettably though, he ended up actually finding himself thinking about going.

"Yeah, and Tifa and Cloud decided a vacation would be nice to take with Marlene and Denzel, so they said they'd come if Cid's giving us a ride. Shera is trying to convince Cid and Barrett to take a break from the oil fields." Yuffie listed off all their friends. "Are you going to come? You could come in handy if I ever need a dance partner!" She grinned. "So?"

"Maybe. If Cid agrees… to take us there that is…"

"Alright! And I won't look like a total idiot on the dance floor!"

"You… don't look like an idiot… when you dance…" Vincent said slowly.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, when I dance with _you_ I don't." She corrected. "There's a difference you know!"

Vincent didn't respond, though that was normal. It was usually Yuffie who went on about whatever she felt like talking about while he listened anyways. He was rather glad that Yuffie had switched the topic from the function, since he still didn't want to go – no matter how much he thought about going on the inside. Though the topic was still close to the previous subject, being about what she was expected to wear at the function. According to the letter her father sent her, it was supposed to be formal. It didn't necessarily have to be traditional though, since lots of people who were attending came from the mainland and wouldn't know anything about Wutain customs.

"So, I guess Tifa could probably get away with that reddish dress she's got. See, it's not red, but more like… um… hmm… I guess it's more of a purplish red, y'know?" Yuffie tried explaining. "I don't have any dresses though, except that one Tifa got me for the Holiday party Reeve held for the WRO employees. Do you remember it? It's turquoise and long, and has a slit up it… I wonder if anyone would notice it's the same dress? I know Godo's never seen it, but he'll probably stuff me into something more traditional when I get there – you know, since I'm the Princess and it's my duty and blah blah blah…"

Vincent found himself leading the way, as he rather wanted to get out of the colder weather and back into the warmth of Seventh Heaven. Yuffie, who didn't really notice, kept wondering what she'd wear; but unlike the dancing, Vincent wouldn't be able to help her with that, so it was rather fruitless to attempt to explain dresses to him. He was just trying to remember the route back home, since most of their afternoon had been turning randomly down streets that looked interesting to Yuffie.

As she continued talking about whatever came to mind – now it was something about getting more shuriken, or maybe it was about cutting her hair short again as it had reached just about her shoulders (apparently Godo had requested that she grow it out) – Vincent decided that he would go to the fancy dinner party gala event that Yuffie had invited them all to. It was about time he took a vacation from the Nibelheim Mansion that wasn't a visit to Edge.

"Yuffie…?"

She turned to him questioningly, "Yeah Vince, what's up?"

"… I think I'll go with you to that function…"

Her smile slowly turned into a grin. "Awesome! One person on my side already!"

* * *

Hey all :D So... I know that (excluding this story) I'm attempting to write about three multi-chapter fics at once. Not exactly, a smart decision, but I was honestly delving too deep into one of my other plots, and got insanely uninspired, so I thought this up. It won't be too long of a story, perhaps maybe ten chapters at the very least. In any case, for those who might be reading my other stories, I am NOT neglecting them!! Just so you know :)

Hope you enjoyed this :)

~hikari-kasumi


	2. What Do You Want To Do?

It was late by the time they finally got back to Seventh Heaven, so they had missed dinner. Apparently Tifa had called multiple times, but neither of them had gotten a call. Vincent checked his phone – the newly bought and hardly used one – and frowned. It had run out of batteries. Yuffie checked her own PHS, but it ended up that she forgot it on her bedside table.

"Sorry Teef!" Yuffie said sheepishly. "But at least you know that we can take care of ourselves, right?" She nudged Vincent. "We can kick ass, you don't need to worry about us!"

Tifa sighed amusedly. "Alright, well your dinner's in the microwave, you should heat it up because it's probably cold by now."

And again, Vincent found himself spending even more time with Yuffie – not that he minded, but he just found it ironic that he was the one who always ended up being paired with her to do things. It was almost funny how many times Reeve had asked Vincent to accompany Yuffie on missions, or when Tifa asked if they could get the groceries, or a million other things he could say.

But nevertheless, he sat across from her at one of the tables as they ate their dinner. Unlike her, Vincent ate slowly, pensively. What was it about Yuffie that made everyone seem to gravitate to her? Cid couldn't stand her but he'd still help her out. Why else would Yuffie ask him to take her to Wutai? And Barrett thought she was a right pain in the backside, but he still took care of her just like he did Marlene. It was an odd thing for something like this to cross his mind, but it still held his interest. Even Tifa was worrying about them – or rather, Yuffie – today.

The only answer he could really think of as he ate the noodles Tifa made, was that she was the youngest of them, and she was the most vulnerable even though she acted tough. She was nervous about embarrassing her father at the gala, but she still told him that she didn't care. Yuffie asked them all to go with her on the pretense that it would be boring without them, but Vincent knew it was because she'd be lonely without them. And everyone was already switching around their schedules in order to go with her. Even Vincent.

"Hey, Vincent?" Yuffie asked, her voice not as loud as usual. "Do you think that I'm a nuisance?"

Vincent was surprised by the question, but answered calmly, "No, I do not. Why do you ask?"

"Ah… um… well, Godo…" She trailed off.

"He's wrong…" Vincent said simply.

"Oh, ah… okay." She gave him a small smile and continued slurping up the noodles.

He could only wonder what could have possibly made her bring that up. After she received the letter inviting her to her father's big dinner party, she had been acting strange. She was still the same Yuffie, but she had these odd moments that didn't seem right. Vincent didn't know what was wrong, but he could make an informed guess that it was probably something about the letter. Godo was known to add insult to injury, so it wouldn't be unusual for him to have said something that struck a nerve. But it was still out of the ordinary for him to be rude, as he had slowly gotten better at holding his tongue after the Sephiroth incident according to Yuffie.

Whatever it was, it was upsetting Yuffie. And for some unknown reason, Vincent wanted to help her.

---

Yuffie woke up the next morning, free of an alarm clock because Reeve knew she had tons to do – or at least procrastinate on – for when her visit to Wutai came. He had given her the next week off to prepare, and then another three days for the time she was in Wutai. He was very accommodating.

She lied in bed for a while, staring idly at the ceiling as she wondered what the dinner would be like. She wasn't even sure that she wanted to go, but knew that she needed to for the sake of her country. It was unfair to force the occasion on her though, as she hadn't been to any of the previous ones. Yuffie assumed it was because she had turned of age, so it would be required, but it was a detail Godo had left out of the letter if that was the reason – lest he expected her to know that.

There was a knock at her door and she tilted her head just enough to see it. "Come in." She mumbled, her head crashing back onto her pillow.

The door creaked open and a familiar red cape walked in. "Good morning, Yuffie." Vincent said as he walked in, taking the seat from her desk and placing it beside her bed so he could sit down. "You said… you wanted to go shopping with me… today…" Vincent said, referencing to the rather one-sided conversation they had the previous day.

"Oh yeah." Yuffie remembered. "Well, you'll probably find it boring, but Tifa's working all day so I can't bring her with me!"

"I… don't mind…"

"Alright, if you say so." Yuffie smiled sheepishly at him. "I'll get ready and we can go in a bit, okay?"

Vincent nodded, though it was barely noticeable, and exited the room. Yuffie finally got up ten minutes later, figuring that she'd rather be doing something than nothing at all. She looked over to the clock and was surprised to see that it was only 8:26am. She thought that with the lack of sleep she got from heavy days at work, she'd sleep-in much more than that!

Nevertheless, she got up and got ready for the day ahead of her, where she'd be shopping for dresses and gifts from the mainland to all of her favourite people in Wutai.

---

Vincent was bored. Well, okay, maybe not bored in the sense of the usual 'I have nothing to do', but in the sense that 'I have something to do and it's not very interesting.' But the bright side to it was that Yuffie was as talkative as ever and it kept him from being completely without a thing to do – he could listen, and that's all he could ask from her.

They had already gone to get all the gifts Yuffie wanted to get for various people that took care of her while in Wutai. The people that waited on her, the people that trained her, the students that she trained herself… the list went on, really. So Vincent was left to carry three bags full of personalized trinkets for each person while he waited for Yuffie to pick out a dress (even though she was almost certain that her father would pull her aside and get her to wear something more traditional).

"I'm really sorry for this, but Tifa's never free to do this stuff." Yuffie apologized for the ninth time that day. Vincent had been keeping track.

"It's… fine…" He told her, sitting in a rather comfortable chair right outside her dressing room.

"If you say so." Yuffie said, positioning herself in front of the tri-fold mirror. "What do you think of this one? It's the only one so far that isn't totally squishing my lungs!"

Vincent raised a curious brow at this – she did know what size she wore, didn't she?

"Honestly, you'd think people would rather feel good in their dresses than feel suffocated just for a good shot of their cleavage!" Yuffie complained, turning so she could see the back of the dress.

It was a dark red colour, and the fabric looked like it could be satin, though Vincent couldn't really tell. It didn't have straps either, but Vincent guessed that it had something in order for it to stay up on its own, like those fancy-looking ties on the back. He really had no idea whether it was the 'right dress', but he could tell one thing: it looked good on her. Luckily, both of them knew that he wouldn't be any help in deciding which one was nice. So far he had said that all of them looked good.

"… I think it's good that… you can breath…" Vincent commented lamely from his seat.

"Damn straight it is!" Yuffie said, putting her hands on her hips and looking directly at the middle mirror. "Heh, this actually kinda looks good! And Godo won't tell me off for wearing something too short either, since I could probably trip over it if it were another inch longer!" She laughed to herself. "Alright, I'm sick of trying things on, I'm getting this one!"

Yuffie ran back over to her dressing room and hummed while she changed back into her shorts and t-shirt. Vincent was rather glad that they hadn't taken forever over everything, though he wondered what they would do for the rest of the day. Would they go back to the bar and help out Tifa? Or maybe Yuffie would just drop off all their – or rather, her – bags and they'd be off on another one of her wandering adventures?

"Alright, let's go Vince!" She left all the other dresses in the stall and had the dark red one folded over her arm. When they paid for it, Yuffie used her father's account. When Vincent had questioned it, she merely told him that it was his function and his decision to make her come, so it should be him paying her to even come in the first place. The least he could do was pay for the dress.

Vincent didn't question her logic, nor did he really disagree with it. He just found it interesting that she put so much effort into irritating her father. Then again, he annoyed her to an equal extent. Vincent figured he could call it equivalent exchange since it sure seemed like it was.

"So, where do you wanna go? These bags are starting to get a little heavy so as long as I can drop these off, you'll have the honour of me accompanying you with whatever you want!" Yuffie grinned.

He was actually just torn between whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. It wasn't like he did anything interesting. Sometimes he just went to the WRO building and did some practice in the shooting range; other times he did nothing but sit and contemplate over things that now seem meaningless. Then again, Yuffie always had a knack for making things interesting. But honestly, did he really want her there? Vincent inwardly sighed. It was all her fault he now didn't know what to do with himself. All that he'd been doing as of late was being her shadow, going wherever she went because she wanted company. Now it was going to switch and she was going to give him company. Why did this not add up in his head?

* * *

Hey all :) So this is the second chapter, hope you liked it! I have another three chapters lined up, but the story will be longer than that - I still have lots more to write! So it'll be another... week? Before I update again that is :) Hope that's not too long for you guys!!

Constructive criticism is appreciated - just don't flame!


	3. Lift Off

The bell chimed as they entered the bar, and Vincent sat down at one of the stools while Yuffie ran upstairs with her shopping bags.

"So, did she find a nice dress?" Tifa asked, cleaning a dirty mug.

"She found a dress, yes." Vincent nodded thoughtfully.

"That's good. What's it like?" She continued curiously.

"It's dark red." Vincent paused, trying to think of things to say about it. Surprisingly, he found it difficult to describe such a simple item of clothing. "It was shiny… it didn't have anything to hold it up… there was a jagged cut up the side of it…"

Tifa smiled as she watched Vincent in his attempt to describe her dress. "How about I just ask her later?" She said, obviously amused.

"That… would be more fruitful."

"I'm sure it would." Tifa said, filling up another mug from the tap and passing it along the counter to a man two seats down. "So, what are your plans now? Going back to Nibelheim Mansion for a while?"

"Actually, I decided to accompany Yuffie to Wutai this weekend." He said slowly, as if testing the words. "She… doesn't want to go alone…"

Tifa nodded in understanding. "I think I'll be going too. Cloud and I decided that taking a weekend off with the kids might prove to be a good vacation for us." She started wiping down the counter, looking away distantly. "We've been working nonstop lately, so you can see why we need a bit of a rest." She nodded to herself, pausing for a moment. "At least, that's the line I convinced Cloud with." She added sighing.

"Did he not want to go?" Vincent asked, if only to prolong the conversation.

"He still thinks he needs to work – constantly." Tifa explained. "He comes home more now that he can face his past, but it's like he's drifting backwards. It's like he doesn't want to be around much anymore and – "

"He called me." Vincent interrupted her quietly. "A couple days ago. He said something about how he needs to think things over for a while, and he asked me because…" He trailed off, becoming unfocused.

"Vincent?"

"Because I know what it's like to feel alone."

---

When Yuffie woke up that Thursday, it was because the phone had rung incessantly way before her alarm had bothered to go off. Luckily, Tifa answered the call before Yuffie could do anything irrational. Unfortunately, the call was for Yuffie – and from Cid no less.

As Yuffie marched down the hallway clad in the shorts and tank top that were her pajamas, she wondered vaguely whether he was calling because he had found another thing missing from his house. She couldn't help it if he was easy to pickpocket – not too mention all the cool trinkets he kept around his house! Too tempting to resist is what she had told him when he yelled at her the first time round. After a couple months in which she was back in Edge, he had consistently realized another one of his possessions had gone mysteriously missing. Nowadays – a whole four months after her visit – he would merely tell her what it was and ask her whether she had it. Obviously he had grown tired of yelling at her.

Yuffie took the phone from Tifa and swiftly put it to her ear. "Hey Cid!" She said cheerfully. "So, what's it this time?"

"Hey brat, I've decided – and with much coaxing from Shera I assure you! – that I'm gonna take yeh to Wutai and back." Cid said, sounding rather irritated. "Honestly, if it wasn't fer Shera naggin' the fuck outta me, I woulda left yeh to yer own devices!"

Yuffie grinned. "Awesome! Thanks a lot! I promise you that Godo will totally pay you for bringing me there safely, sound good?"

"Yeah, yeah… Remember, you owe me fer this!" Cid grumbled. "See you tomorrow."

"See ya!" Yuffie hung up the phone, grinning. "Hey Teef! Cid agreed to take us!" She shouted down the stairs to the bar.

"That's great, Yuffie." Tifa replied. "I guess we'll have to do all our packing tonight then so when he gets here tomorrow morning, we'll be ready."

"I've already started." Yuffie said proudly from atop the stairs. "In case he said yes of course…" She added quickly when Tifa gave her a questioning look. "And Reno was my backup plan." She reiterated. "So I'm gonna finish that up."

She ran up the stairs just as the bell chimed and Vincent walked in, Cloud following closely behind him. Without saying a word, Vincent sat down on the couch near the fireplace in the corner. Cloud stood awkwardly at the door, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Hey Tifa…"

Tifa put the cloth she was holding down on the counter rather loudly and gripped the counter with her hands, not knowing whether she was angry with him or just happy he was back. "Hey, Cloud." She couldn't tell if her voice had been quiet or strong, instead focusing her attention on the new cuts and bruises up his arms. "Are… are you okay?"

Cloud took a tentative step forward, the sound of his footstep resonating. "I'm okay."

Tifa walked out from behind the counter, towards him, but stopped a few feet away. "Do you…" She hesitated when he looked at her with guilt. She took a deep breath. "Do you want to stay here?"

"How much does it cost," Cloud asked, remembering the game they played whenever Tifa was mad at him, "for a night's stay at the inn?"

Without warning, she caught him in a tight embrace. "Don't ever think you're alone. I'm here, and I've known you since we were kids. If you leave me, then I'll have nothing to remember of my childhood anymore."

Cloud tentatively put his arms around her. "I won't leave. Not permanently."

"Good." Her voice was muffled against his chest. She slowly pulled away and composed herself. "We're leaving tomorrow morning with Cid to go to Wutai with Yuffie if that's alright. It'll be nice to see AVALANCHE back together, huh?"

Cloud smiled. "Yeah, it will be."

---

The next morning, everyone was waiting patiently in the town square – the only place Cid was allowed to land within Edge. Yuffie was talking animatedly to Vincent, since he had told her not to bother Cloud and Tifa. She didn't know why, but she obliged anyway. Marlene and Denzel were sitting on the steps of the monument together, probably talking about how he'd be in high school the next year. It was their favourite topic lately, so it wouldn't have been a surprise.

"Hey Denzel, what do you think Yuffie and Vincent are doing over there?" Marlene asked when she had looked over to Tifa and instead saw Yuffie with her mini-stereo. It looked like she was attempting to find a CD, but which one? Marlene didn't know.

"Oh, you weren't at home yesterday!" Denzel said knowingly. "Yuffie is getting dance lessons from Vincent!"

Marlene gave him a look of confusion. "Why? She can dance just fine!" She gestured over to where Yuffie had given up searching and instead blasted some dance music. Vincent shook his head at her, though the movement was barely noticeable from their distance.

"Yeah, but she was complaining yesterday about how she'd never be able to pull off being graceful while at this big party we're going to." Denzel explained. "Apparently her dad's not too into the pop and lock thing."

Marlene smiled. "Well, I hope her lessons go well!"

"At least we won't be expected to dance – that would be horrible!"

Meanwhile, Yuffie had broken into dance to her newest CD. It was a lot more fun to be herself than dance like a 'stuffy old snoot' as she so nicely put it. But Vincent had to agree with her. Everyone at the parties in which he had to mingle was always rich and snobby. She wasn't much off the mark. However, despite his agreeing mentally with her, he still stepped forward and changed the track of the CD to a slower song. When Yuffie looked at him questioningly, he took her into position.

As they swayed this way and that way, Yuffie smiled at her feet. "Thanks Vince. There's gonna be a lot of people there to impress and I don't want to be a huge disappointment…"

"You won't be." Vincent said, though the concern he felt was hidden. What had been bothering her lately?

"Thanks…" Yuffie reiterated. "You're not either…"

Vincent tried to ignore the last statement in favour of checking their timing together. She seemed to be doing pretty well considering that she didn't seem like she was paying attention at all. Yuffie always did pick up new things easily, no matter how much she denied not learning anything about 'fancy dancing' from previous instructors.

"Mind trying this again?" Vincent asked, but didn't wait for an answer as he spun her around and caught her again. Her breath hitched for a moment and her eyes widened in surprise. He lifted her back up and they resumed swaying.

"Hmm... That wasn't so hard!" Yuffie smiled widely at him, her new expression hiding her initial shock. "There weren't any cracks for me to trip on that time!"

"No, there weren't." Vincent nodded in agreement.

"You know, I think you should be my official dance partner! Wouldn't that be cool? Yeah... I'll even get Godo to pay you for teaching me or something! After all, he needs to show his appreciation for me not being a total embarrassment somehow, right?"

"I don't need any credit." Vincent told her easily. "It's fine."

"If you say so, but I totally think you deserve some!"

As they practiced dancing, the overcast skies soon started sounding less like wind and more like the hurried chopping of propellors. A minute later, Yuffie could no longer hear the music that her stereo was blasting. An airship came into view and Yuffie grinned widely. As it slowly descended into the town square, the noise of wind being forced in the flow of the propellors grew louder and louder, until the airship finally hovered slightly above the ground. It landed with a skritching sound on the pavement of the new roads and the engine hummed before finally going silent.

Yuffie looked back at Vincent, who had already grabbed hold of his suitcase -- full of nothing, she supposed -- and decided that she should probably bring her bags aboard as well.

"Hey Vinnie?" Yuffie called when he was halfway up the entry-way. "Can you carry some of my stuff?"

He nodded, turning back around. Tifa and Cloud were already in the airship, along with the curious and excited Marlene and Denzel. Vincent took hold of two of her bags, a suitcase and a duffel bag which were rather heavy. Yuffie took the last two bags, the lighter of the load.

"Thank Leviathan you've got those metal arms!" Yuffie grinned as she swung one of her duffel bags over her shoulder. "I've got way too much stuff! Just as well, I am a princess after all!!"

* * *

Well that certainly took a while!! I got kinda lazy, but I don't really care too much. I'm not entirely sure whether I like this chapter, but the next one will definitely be interesting!! I hope you all stay tuned!!

~astrya02


	4. Up in the Air

After what had to have been at least an hour of their flight to Wutai, Yuffie finally deemed it safe to come out of her room. At least, she called it her room. On her last visit to Rocket Town, Cid had gotten so annoyed at her that he assigned her a room to stay in so she wouldn't bother him. Smart move, since she also needed it for those bouts of motion sickness. Come to think of it, he'd done a lot of stuff for her! Like letting her stay for a month in Rocket Town for no real reason. That had been fun. Yuffie smiled at the memory.

She skipped into the main room of the airship, figuring that if she bounced and the ship bounced, she wouldn't feel any of that pesky turbulence. "Hey guys!" She said loudly in greeting, bouncing on her toes to keep moving. If Tifa hadn't known any better, she would've guessed that Yuffie was feeling hyper.

"Hey Yuffie," Tifa smiled as Yuffie descended the few stairs towards the window. "Feeling better?"

"Much." Yuffie stated. "Seriously, whoever invented that medicine you gave me was a genius!"

"Yeah, well, what can I say? When the kids get sick, it helps. I thought it might do the same for you."

"S'long as she doesn't get any of that upchuck on my new seats!" Cid shouted from his place at the wheel. "It cost me quite a bit of gil, not to mention having to search around for the portion yeh stole from me when you visited! Last time I let you in my house..."

"Sorry?" Yuffie said passively as she skipped to the other side of the window. "So, how much longer till we get there, hmm Cid?"

"It'll be another couple of hours, so sit tight. And by that, I mean keep yer trap shut!"

"But socializing is good for you Cid!" Yuffie said. "If you did it more often, maybe you wouldn't be such a grumpy old bore."

Cid went to retort but Barrett stepped in.

"So you called it a gala, right? What kinda fancy-ass party we talking 'bout here?" He asked.

Yuffie stared at him for a moment. "Uhm... Wow, I kinda forgot you were here! You came with Cid right?"

"Yup, got a free ride." Barrett affirmed. "So, what's this gala gon' be like?"

Yuffie put a hand to her chin in thought. "Hmm... Well, I think Godo said that it's gonna be huge! All the bells and whistles, like Cid would say!" She explained, patting said man on the head. "And there's going to be tons of guests and delicious food and important people and... well, dancing! You already know it's fancy, so suits and dresses and stuff. Most of the panel will be in traditional Wutai clothes." She nodded to herself. "And I think Godo's going to give you guys rooms to sleep in, so you'll all have a comfortable stay!" She ended with a big smile.

"Right, cool. I haven't worn a suit for a while, but I did bring one along." Barrett said. "Marlene helped me buy it way back when. I'm hoping it still fits..."

"If it doesn't, I can always get you one." Yuffie offered.

Barrett shook his head. "Nah, don't go throwing around your gil for us!"

Yuffie shrugged. "Okay... But you know, I wasn't offering _my_ money!"

Barrett laughed. "Yeah, I know. Don't go spending your dad's cash on us," He corrected.

She turned around to look out of the massive window and grinned at the sight. The skies had no sign of being affected by destruction and disease like the rest of Gaia. They were bluer, if anything. Yuffie skipped over to the metal railing and pressed her hand against the glass, feeling the cool air transfer into her palm. She shivered. If only airships didn't make her so sick...

"What if we built a city in the skies?" Everyone turned to look at her oddly. She continued, "I mean, then we wouldn't have to rebuild! Just create something new. New stuff is better anyway."

Cid smirked. "And old would be mako, right?"

Yuffie nodded to herself, immersed in watching the clouds split from the ship's acceleration. "Imagine... a city in the sky..."

"It would be pretty cool." Tifa agreed. "Living amongst the clouds."

Yuffie turned around, "Glad you agree!" She grinned. "But, speaking of clouds, where is he?"

"With Vincent," Barrett answered, sensing Tifa's discomfort. "Talking I guess. I dunno."

"Oh... Well, I guess I'll go talk to them! I wanted to ask Cloud a question." Yuffie bounced out of the room and they all stared after her.

After a moment, Cid said, "Enigma, isn't she?"

"Yeah, but we already knew that, didn't we." Tifa smiled, turning back to the window. "I wonder what her question is?"

Yuffie kept her altered rhythm of bouncing on her toes as she went around on her mini-quest to find Cloud and Vincent. She wasn't entirely sure where to start, because they never really had officially assigned rules like she did. She frowned. Maybe she just needed to search for hushed voices? After all, that's what the two were best at.

"That's not it at all!" Yuffie heard a crash and turned around to the door she had just passed. She cocked an eyebrow and took a step toward it.

"Then what is it?" There was no mistaking Vincent's calm but firm voice.

"I was wrong, you wouldn't get it. You'll never get it!" Wait, so that was Cloud?

Yuffie tentatively rested her hand on the brass handle of the door, hesitating.

"I never will unless you explain it."

Should she interrupt? Should she wait? Should she leave the door well alone and go back to Tifa?

"It's... complicated."

_You can say that again._ Yuffie rolled her eyes. Everything seemed more complicated than their so-called normal lives should have been, even hers.

"Everything is if you think too much."

_And yet Vincent makes it sound so simple... even though his life is probably the most complicated!_

"But, this is..." Cloud didn't finish.

Yuffie took this as her chance, opening the door loudly. "Hey guys! I was looking for you two!" She exclaimed, grinning as if she hadn't heard anything of their conversation.

Both had solemn expressions as they looked her way, and she felt idiotic. Vincent was standing against the wall, arms folded neatly across his chest, while Cloud sat on the bed opposite with his elbows resting on his knees. Yuffie took another step inside, not bothering to close the door behind her, and smiled again, trying to make sense of the tense atmosphere. Tifa had been acting weird, now that she thought about it, but now wasn't exactly the time to think about things.

Yuffie took a deep breath, "So Cloud? I had a question for you, but I guess I've gone and forgotten it!" She knocked on her head with her knuckles and smiled sheepishly at him. "But no matter! I'll just hang around until I remember so that I won't have to find you and forget all over again if that's okay?"

Cloud glanced at Vincent, and if Yuffie hadn't been watching him she would've missed it. "Sure, go ahead. We were about to go to sleep though, but I'm sure Vincent wouldn't mind if we stayed up a little longer."

"You mean you actually sleep?" Yuffie asked, amazed as she looked over to Vincent.

He sighed. "I slept in a coffin for how many years? Slept is the key word there, Yuffie." He sat down on the bed beside himself.

Yuffie mentally thanked him for lightening the mood. He probably didn't realize it was affecting her too, but now her curiosity was getting the better of her. She wanted to know what was wrong too. But no one would tell someone like her. Not after the reputation of awesomeness that preceded her.

"So how are you guys?" She asked, sprawling herself on Vincent's bed. She knew it was probably a bad question, but it was the only normal way she knew how to start a conversation. She didn't want to make them madder than they were.

"We're fine, Yuffie." Vincent was the one who answered again. "And how might you be?"

"I'm great, like I always am!" Yuffie sat up, grinning. "Seriously, who can beat this ray of sunshine, rainbows, and awesome? All combined make me some kind of unstoppable, right?"

No one answered, and she wished Barrett was in the room with them. He could always brighten up a room with a single phrase. Usually the silence from Vincent was amusing because she could blabber on about everything, but she'd never tried this with Cloud, or both of them for that matter.

"Tough crowd..." She muttered, flinging herself back again. She sunk into the plush quilt that Shera, no doubt, had made in her free time. During her visit to Rocket Town, she had not only stolen pretty much everything, but she also found out that both Cid and Shera had some pretty interesting hobbies. Shera liked to sew and do quilting and Cid liked to concoct new flavours of tea. Not that the tea was anything new.

"Have you remembered the question yet, Yuffie?" Vincent asked.

"Well, no. I would've asked it and been on my way if I had instead of hanging around with mopey people like you two!"

They tensed, though Vincent's movement was barely noticeable under his mantle of a red cape.

_Oops... Maybe I should've gone the sarcastic way out?_ Yuffie thought, regretting her word choice only nanoseconds later. Her eyes darted up to see Vincent, who glanced momentarily at her before returning to her staring contest with the ground.

"Hey Vinnie, wanna continue our dance lesson? I'm pretty sure I won't remember my question until it's not even that important anymore tomorrow," Yuffie admitted. "Sorry if I totally just wasted your time there, guys!" She gave them a sheepish look, then grinned. "But look on the bright side, you got to spend time with me, right ol' buddy?" Yuffie bounded up and patted Cloud enthusiastically on the back.

"Er, yeah, sure," He said noncommittally.

"Let's go then, Yuffie." Vincent said, peeling himself from his position against the wall and making his way out of the room with what Yuffie would call his signature swoosh.

Yuffie skipped out after him, leaving Cloud to wallow in whatever he was wallowing in, and Yuffie couldn't quite decide if she wanted to know what it was.

They had started to work on a routine dance, which was harder than it first sounded in Yuffie's opinion. A substantial number of complaints had already made themselves known through the use of Yuffie's nonstop motormouth; complaints that Vincent had taken with a grain of salt and the utmost of patience. After all, he knew that Yuffie was going to talk no matter what he did to try and stop her. In fact, it had become a sort of soothing sound.

But if he ever told anyone that, including the members of AVALANCHE whom he could safely call his friends, they'd laugh at him. Vincent somehow preferred to be funny when he meant to be, not when he was trying to be serious.

"Hey Vinnie? Is this how you do that spin?" Yuffie grabbed ahold of his hands quickly and attempted to twirl the way he demonstrated to her. Of course, she had been the one spinning while he guided her.

Yuffie nearly tripped over the untied laces of her combat boots and Vincent caught her in one swift movement. She laughed nervously. "Maybe I should've worn my other boots?"

"Maybe you should've... tied your shoelaces."

"I can't help it if I needed to sleep off my motion sickness and Cid hates having shoes on the covers! I had to take them off..." She sulked. "And anyway, how can a person concentrate on tying shoelaces when the mere thought of bending over to do them makes them queasy and gross?" Yuffie argued.

She had a point, he could admit that. "Why don't you go change... we'll pick up later."

"Alright," She agreed, giving him a wide but guilty smile. "See you in a bit!"

Yuffie was just about to leave when a violent bout of turbulence threw her face first into the floor. Well, it would have if Vincent hadn't once again caught her in the nick of time.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, but that queasy feeling came back..." She used his arm to lift herself up, rebalancing herself.

"Let's go see if Tifa has more of that medicine," Vincent suggested.

Yuffie nodded enthusiastically at the idea and began to follow him out of the room, but another lurch from the airship sent her toppling into Vincent, throwing them both to the carpeted floors of the Shera.

Her face flushed. "Um... do you think there's something about the air that makes me lose my otherwise awesome and amazing ninja skill and grace?"

"Truthfully? You never really... had much grace."

"Oh thanks..." Yuffie pressed her hand down on Vincent's chest, effectively pushing herself up. "So, how are we gonna get to them now when I can hardly walk?" She asked, her legs wobbling along with the airship.

Vincent was about to take her outstretched hand and get up himself, when the airship dropped from underneath him. The fall was a good five feet of pain, and they ended up tangled on the floor yet again. Yuffie groaned in pain as she sat up, rubbing her wrist. It had fallen right onto Vincent's metal claw, and it was much harder than she originally thought.

"I could..." He trailed off.

"You could what?"

"Carry you there..."

Yuffie pondered the idea for a moment before shaking her head, extremely amused. "I'm not disabled, Vince! Seriously!"

She nearly tipped over but quickly grabbed the banister leading down to the cockpit. The cool metal felt good after what she was almost certain was carpet burn and a growing bruise from the warmer metal of Vincent's arm. She looked her wrist over to see the damage and was shocked to see blood trickling down her arm, dripping off of her elbow. Yuffie quickly checked her wrist to see the cut, and was relieved to find it wasn't that deep. A potion could seal it up in no time. Of course, they still had to get to the cockpit...

"Are you okay?" Vincent asked, coming up behind her. He too had finally noticed her bloody arm.

"I'm pretty sure it's fine! S'not like blood is gushing out like a waterfall or anything, right?" Yuffie asked, grinning sheepishly. She had been doing that a lot lately, come to think of it. She mentally smacked herself. _There's nothing to be sheepish about, Yuffie!_ She reminded herself.

She only hoped that there wouldn't be anything in the future either.


End file.
